Speaking of Babies
by ClassyGirlsWearPearls
Summary: How Greg and Mycroft decided whether or not to expand their family. Follows "Carnival as Confessional"
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Shall we talk about babies, my dears?**

**My usual disclaimer about not owning anything and my blanket apology for playing with other people's toys still applies.**

It had been just about two years since Greg had found himself in the position he was in right now. The only difference was that he had asked Michelle if he could talk to the kids alone. She had agreed, though somewhat reluctantly. It took some assurances on his part that he wasn't dying, or moving somewhere that would keep him too far from the kids, or, worst of all, that he and Mycroft were not splitting up before she agreed to leave and not come back to the house for a few hours. Greg chose to ignore that Michelle was more worried about him getting divorced than his untimely death.

He wasn't planning on staying long at all. He wanted his kids to talk this over with him, but he didn't want them to have too much to process at once. This was a potentially huge change that could be happening, and he wanted them to be able to make the most informed decision possible.

After Mycroft's surprise confession about wanting children, Greg was too shocked to actually answer him. It took him several seconds before he could properly process what he had just heard, and by that point the look of humiliation on Mycroft's face was too much to bear. He suggested that they go home and talk about it there because, while he wasn't closed off to the idea, he didn't want to have this conversation in public, let alone in such close proximity to his colleagues.

When they got home, Mycroft uncovered a bit of his past that Greg hadn't known about. When he was a small child, Mycroft had wanted a younger brother or sister more than anything. He was frustrated by the fact that despite the fact that his parents told him that perhaps one day he would have a younger sibling to play with, no sibling showed up. It was later that he learned that his mother had fertility issues and that she had miscarried several times during those seven long years between himself and Sherlock. To assuage the somewhat broody part of him that wanted to be a big brother, Mycroft had tried to play with younger children, but they were confused by how cerebral he was. It wasn't long before he realized that the only person who would understand his way of being a loving big brother would be someone who was genetically related to him.

When Sherlock had come along, Mycroft was ecstatic, and until their parents had died he had lived that dream of being an older brother and taking care of someone in the special way that only an older sibling can. Even with Sherlock in the picture, Mycroft had still felt that he desired more. It wasn't until he reconciled with himself the fact that he was gay that it hit him that he had wanted children of his own. It broke his heart that he would never be able to have children that he and his partner were both the parents of. When he came out to his parents, he had cried because he felt that he would be failing them by giving them grandchildren that were either part surrogate or a combination of his partner and a surrogate. His parents had waved that off and told him that it didn't matter to them if their grandchildren were biologically his or not, they just wanted him to be happy.

Though he had been nervous to meet Greg's children, Mycroft had been excited. He knew that what they had together was special and that they would likely get married. The children wouldn't technically be his, but he hoped that they would learn to love him the way he was sure that he would love them. Things had obviously turned out better than Mycroft had imagined, and he was sure that he would be content to live with six fantastic step-children who he cherished more than he could have dreamed. It wasn't until after the wedding that he had acknowledged that, to his horror, he wanted more than what he had the good fortune to have.

Greg's heart broke.

"I'm so sorry, Gregory," Mycroft mumbled, his eyes downcast. "I never meant to have you find out. I don't want you to think that this isn't enough, because it is more than enough. I am just a terribly selfish person who wants more than he has."

Greg had patted his hand. "Don't give me that. You and I made a deal, remember. We need to tell each other when we want something or when something is bothering us. No judgment."

"Yes, but I didn't want to make you feel uncomfortable," Mycroft replied. "I don't want to put you in an awkward position. Six children are already enough and I wouldn't want any of them to feel as if they're being replaced by a child that you and I might have together. I will be more than content to live the rest of my life with you and the six of them."

"Well what if you weren't putting me in an awkward position?" Greg asked. Mycroft cocked his eyebrow at him. "Well, alright, it is a bit awkward, but what if I ran it by the kids. I haven't even had time to process this. What if I talked to them about it and gave them a good chunk of time to think about how they would feel about having a little brother or sister? I wouldn't guarantee a yes from them, and to be honest I don't know if I would want to say yes to this myself. I love kids, but I'm rapidly approaching the wrong side of fifty and children are bloody exhausting."

"What exactly do you propose?"

"I'll talk to the kids. If all of them are on board with this idea, then I'll start thinking about this. I can't make any promises about my answer, but I will tell you that if my kids are okay with it, I'll give it my full consideration. How does that sound?"

Mycroft leaned over and laid his head down on Greg's shoulder. "You are the most accommodating person that I have ever met. I love you very much."

"Yes, and I you," Greg answered with a smile.

It was two days after the conversation about babies. Greg and Mycroft had agreed not to talk about it unless they had answers, which meant that Greg had practically been bursting at the seams to tell someone about it. He thought about calling John for a pint, but John would have told Sherlock and then Sherlock would have given Mycroft shit about it. No, better to wait until he could talk to his kids and get the input of the people who would be affected most by this potential change rather than have extraneous pressure.

Greg sat in the armchair across from the couch and alternated between staring at his children and looking at his hands. This was not going to be easy.

"Dad," Ian piped up, breaking the silence. "You can't just keep us here like this. You're scaring me. What's wrong?"

"Mycroft and I have been thinking about having a baby," he blurted out. Shit. Well, that could have been a lot smoother. He looked up at their faces and saw a strange mix of emotions spread among them. "It isn't a very well developed idea," he added. "He brought it up the other day. I didn't even- I had no idea. But we talked it over and this is something he really wants. I told him that before I started thinking seriously about this, I needed to talk to the six of you." He paused, waiting for some input, but as his eyes swept back and forth along the row of them he realized he wasn't going to be getting any answers yet. "You're under no obligation to say yes, and neither of us will resent you if you say no, but we want to know what you think before we start to seriously consider this. I will still love you more than anything if any of you say no, and Mycroft is besotted with every single one of you. I hope you know that." Slight nods rippled through the row of them. "I'm going to leave, and I want all of you to take your time thinking about this. If you have questions, please call me and I'll come out and talk to you some more. Does anyone want to ask anything now?" There was no answer to that. "Right, I'll be off then."

Greg walked up to the couch, thankful that they had invested in a ridiculously long one that could fit grown bodies as well as bodies that were still growing at the same time. He kissed every one of them on their forehead and told them that he loved them, and then walked out the door and into the car he had parked in the driveway.


	2. Chapter 2

Charlotte was crying softly. She was definitely the most emotional of the bunch. She had barely held it together after Daddy had left the house. Sarah craned her neck to look at her sister. She was just as shocked at Charlotte. She wanted to ask her if she was okay, but she also didn't want to be the first one to speak.

"Was that wholly unexpected?" Tristan asked quietly.

"I guess I saw it coming, but I didn't ever think anything would come of it," Henry supplied. "For them to have a baby would be such a hassle. It must be something that they really want."

Charlotte choked back a sob that could have been loud. "That baby is going to get to spend all of its time with Daddy and we're only going to see him once every other week like we do now. What if when we see him he's too tired to spend any time with us? Or what if he doesn't have time because there's a helpless little baby there that needs him more?"

"That wouldn't happen, Charlotte," Sarah assured her, but as she said it she shared a significant look with her twin. As much as they needed him, Daddy would have to take care of a baby that couldn't take care of itself. They would have to take a backseat. After all, they still had Mum. She and David would probably get engaged soon and that was fine, but he didn't have any kids and Mum was definitely past the age of having any more of them.

All of them loved their mother, but there was something different about their daddy that made him like a celebrity in their house. Even before the divorce, he was revered. Sarah loved living with Mum, but she wished for a more stable custody arrangement. Since Daddy was living in town it meant that staying with him for an evening or a weekend was a disruption that a lot of them couldn't handle because of school. She loved the weekends that they got to spend with him and now with Mycroft was well, but they were too scarce for any of their liking. Would another baby make it so he saw them even less?

Sarah normally would have stayed downstairs and talked things over with her siblings, but she stood and said, "I'm going to get a bit of air." With that, she walked out of the house and took a stroll down the street, thinking about the possibility of a half-sibling.

It had been two weeks and Greg hadn't heard anything from his children. He knew that Mycroft was just itching to ask if there had been any sort of answer, but he held back. Bless that man, he just waited it out and let things go on normally.

Greg was beginning to truly suspect that the answer would be a firm no. Obviously all six of them had had time to think about it, and he knew that a few had used Michelle as a sounding board because she had called him about it afterwards, confused about what to do. Greg cringed at putting her in that position. She didn't deserve to bear the brunt of their concerns and fears.

On a Tuesday evening, Greg was staring at a photo of him and Mycroft surrounded by the kids at their wedding. He had felt so complete that day and he never imagined their family growing any more that it was at that stage. He wasn't getting any younger. Mycroft hadn't quite hit 40 yet, but that was getting up there for raising a newborn. He shuddered when he thought of the late nights and the messes and-

"Daddy?"

He glanced up. Charlotte was at the door.

"Hey beautiful," he said with a smile. "Come on in."

"Is this a bad time?"

"Not at all," he replied. "How did you get down here?"

"Took the Tube," she muttered. Greg cringed. If Charlotte was anything, it was honest, but she was definitely too young to be taking the Tube by herself. Sensing his disapproval, she added, "I'm sorry. I just didn't want anyone else to know I was talking to you."

"Why is that?" Greg asked as he levered himself up from his seat and shut the door and blinds. He sat on the couch in his office and Charlotte sat next to him. She kept her distance, not curling up to him like she normally did.

"The rest of them want you and Mycroft to have a baby and they know I'm on the fence about it. They want me to say yes but I'm not sure I want to."

"Why don't you tell me why you aren't sure," Greg said gently, choosing his words carefully.

"We don't get to see you and I hate that. What if when you have the baby you're too busy with it to pay attention to us, or you just don't want to see us at all because you have a new family?" She was valiantly trying to fight off tears, and Greg was proud of her for that.

"Charlotte, look at me," he said sternly. She turned her eyes up towards him and a tear slipped out of the corner of one. "If you say no, Mycroft and I will not hold it against you. In fact, I would say that all six of you said no so you wouldn't worry about him being angry."

"Mycroft would know," she murmured. Greg's mouth twitched.

"He would know, you're right about that. But that doesn't mean that he doesn't love you any less. I'll tell you a secret, Charlotte. He's just as frightened as you are. Maybe not for the same reasons, but he's still scared. He's scared that you all will worry that he doesn't love you, when the truth is that if you said no he would be happy with all six of you being in his life. He's mad for all of you."

"Will I still get to see you though?" Charlotte began to sob in earnest when she asked that.

"Of course you would, darling," Greg cooed, drawing her into his chest and stroking her hair. "Of course you would. If this happens Mum and I are just going to have to work out a new arrangement, that's all. There's plenty of space for all of you."

Charlotte nodded, still hiccupping lightly from crying. "I'm still not saying yes or no yet. I need a little more time to think about it."

"That's fine," Greg replied honestly. He then remembered the beginning of their conversation. "Does Mum know you took the Tube to see me?"

"Yes," Charlotte sighed as if she was dealing with an idiot. "She did ask me to call when I got here though. Can- can I stay over with you and Mycroft tonight? I don't want the others pushing me and I guess he's not going to bring it up."

Mycroft was clearly pleasantly surprised to see Charlotte at the dinner table with Greg. They made the usual small talk about their days, but as they were clearing the table Charlotte tugged on Greg's sleeve and asked, "Daddy, may I speak to Mycroft in private?"

Greg and Mycroft exchanged a look, and Greg gave a small nod. "If it's alright with him, then I'll just finish tidying up."

"Of course it would be alright with me," Mycroft said. "Let's go to my office."

They were in the office for well over two hours. Greg called the others and asked for their opinions on whether or not there should be a baby. All five of them said yes, and all five complained that Charlotte was getting to sleep over all by herself and they weren't. Chuckling, Greg thanked them and hung up.

He was watching a late rugby match when the both emerged. He tried not to scramble out of his seat, but it didn't work very well.

"I've reached my decision," Charlotte declared. Greg nodded. Mycroft's face held apprehension, and Greg could tell that he wasn't totally sure of the answer either. Charlotte drew a deep breath. "If having a baby will make you two happy, then I want you to have one."

Greg rushed over to his little girl and hugged her tightly. "You're sure?"

"Absolutely," Charlotte said with a squeeze. She turned around and Mycroft stooped for a hug.

"I guess we'll tell the others when we drop you off tomorrow morning," Greg said with a shrug.

"That sounds like an excellent plan," Mycroft agreed. He hugged Charlotte again and then got dragged off to have a tea party.

**A/N: So sorry for the delay, my dears! A good family friend died very suddenly and I had to go to Detroit for her funeral. In my rush to pack I forgot to upload each chapter into the doc manager and brought my work laptop rather than my personal computer. Regularly scheduled programming has been resumed.**

**Also I keep forgetting I have a tumblr. The username is classygirlswearpearlswriting. You should come and hang out.**


	3. Chapter 3

When Greg was sixteen, his oldest sister Angela was diagnosed with ALS. Angela had lived until she was 32 and Greg was 24. When she was diagnosed and knew that there was certain death in the not so distant future, she decided to donate most of her body to science. The only thing she didn't donate were her ova.

Before she lost the ability to speak, Angela had pulled Greg and his other sister, Helen, aside. "I'm saving them for the two of you. If for some reason your eggs aren't viable or you end up with a guy and want to have a kid that's blood-related to the two of you, they'll be there. Mum and Dad will have custody over them until you decide that you're done having kids, and after that they'll be donated for research. You'll have to sign something saying that you don't want to use them for insemination so they don't give them to the lab too early."

Two years later and one baby from Helen later, Angela was dead. Since Helen was obviously able to conceive, that meant that the eggs were just for Greg. It was a somewhat daunting feeling.

When Helen had had her third child, she signed over her rights to the eggs. Three was enough, and Dave was getting snipped (Greg shuddered every time she referred to a vasectomy as "getting snipped") since it is a much less invasive surgery than a tubal ligation.

Greg never signed away his rights. He and Michelle were popping kids out like rabbits and it obviously wasn't necessary, but he just had an odd feeling.

"I don't think that we'll split up," Greg had explained to his father one night when he asked about whether or not Greg wanted to sign over his rights. "I just have this odd feeling that someday I'm going to need them, and if they aren't there I'll be kicking myself."

Greg's father patted him on the knee. "Take all the time you need, then. I will not pester you about the matter anymore."

Now, nearly ten years after that conversation, Greg was going to restart the conversation.

They arrived in Bordeaux in the middle of the afternoon on a Friday. Greg's mother had an early dinner prepared for them that made Greg want to eat rather than talk, but he decided that it would be prudent to talk first before he entered the inevitable food coma that his mother's cooking caused.

Greg and Mycroft sat next to each other on the couch, and Greg's parents sat in two armchairs across a coffee table from them. Mycroft was gripping Greg's hand and there was definitely tension in the room.

"We've been doing a lot of talking," Greg started. "But before I go any further I want you to know that all six kids are on board with it." He paused and gave his parents time to interject, but they didn't. "We would like to have a baby, and we would like to use some of Angie's eggs."

Greg's parents shared a look that Greg didn't like. Mycroft apparently didn't like it either because he gripped Greg's hand harder.

"You are a bit old for this," his mother said gently. "You both work so much. Why bring a child into the world if you will have it be with sitters?"

"Most of my work can be done from home," Mycroft commented. "There will be the occasional trip out of the country, but I can videoconference into meetings. I have everything I need to do my job at home. I also plan on promoting my assistant so there are two of us rather than one."

"I can also cut back mine," Greg said. "Most of what I do is administrative and not actual police work anymore. If needs must, I can bring home some paperwork and do it while the baby is asleep."

"Yes, but will this leave time for the two of you?" Greg's father asked. "Will you be able to spend a little time catching up and telling the other about his day if you have a baby and are working at home?"

"Gregory has done that before," Mycroft said before Greg could say anything.

"Gregory did that before, and he ended up with an unfaithful wife and a broken heart," Greg's father said bluntly.

That stung. Even though he and Michelle had made their peace long ago, it still hurt to be reminded why they had gotten a divorce in the first place. He hung his head and blinked quickly.

"That was before. This is a different situation," Mycroft said, standing up for Greg. "We have discussed the correlation between work and the divorce, and we know that we need to be cognizant of that. We are working out a different custody arrangement so we can see the children more often so they don't feel like they've been replaced." Mycroft paused, and when Greg's parents again didn't say anything, he said, "The reason we are doing this is because I have always wanted a child. I love your grandchildren like they're my own flesh and blood, and I thought that would be enough. Truthfully, I would like to continue my family line and raise people who I see my parent's features in. I don't have a lot of reminders of them. Even after I had come out to them they were after me about grandchildren and raising a family if I found the right person to do it with. I have found that person, and now I would like to grant them that last wish, even if they won't be here to meet the children."

"Martine," Greg's father said, standing. "Let us walk and discuss this. We should not be too long." Greg's mother gave them a pinched smile and followed her husband out into their garden.

Once they were gone, Greg threw his arms around Mycroft. "Thank you for saying that," he choked.

"None of it was untrue," Mycroft whispered. "Gregory, I fear that we may not get their approval."

"I know," Greg sighed. "I've already fallen in love with the idea of more kids, and I don't completely trust surrogacy, especially when we don't know the donor. Angie would have wanted this. I know she would have." He burrowed his face into Mycroft's neck and breathed deeply.

"As much as I desire children, if your parents say no to the eggs I will be more than happy to love your children. That doesn't mean I won't be heartbroken if they say no, but I will content."

"Fuck that," Greg exclaimed, pulling back so he could look Mycroft in the eye. "When I married you I promised you happiness, not contentment. I want you to get everything you need to facilitate that happiness, and damn it Mycroft I _want_ children with you. I want little combinations of our genes running around with my kids and becoming one giant family. If they say no, I'll be devastated."

The two of them continued to hold each other for another ten minutes or so until Greg's parents walked back in.

"Do you promise to make sure that you put them before work?" Greg's mother asked.

"Yes, of course," Mycroft breathed. Greg nodded, not trusting his voice.

"Then yes, we would love for you to use them. It is what Angela would have wanted, and if a part of her can live on through your children, we will be more than happy to sign over the custody of the eggs."

Mycroft covered his mouth and choked. He was normally so closed off, and he didn't want Greg's parents to see him get emotional (though he had at the wedding, so he really shouldn't have been worried). Greg's mother gave Greg a little tap and forced him to stand. He gave his father a hug as his mother patted Mycroft's hand and wiped away the tear that was threatening to fall out of the corner of his eye.

"They are very proud of you," she said softly. "You will be an exceptional father, and I am very happy to have you in our family. Our newest grandchildren will be very lucky."

"Thank you," Mycroft whispered. "We will make sure to tell them where they came from, and all about their aunt. She will be a part of their lives."

"Thank you," Greg's father said. "We need to work out how we go about giving you custody of the eggs. They are frozen at a lab in London. We will come over and sign the paperwork granting you the ability to use them."

"We still need to find a surrogate, Dad," Greg admitted. "We have a few people in mind, but we didn't want to get our hopes up too high when there was still a chance that the kids or you two could have said no to the idea."

"Well then, you must find a surrogate, and once that has happened your mother and I will come over and deal with the legal issues. Come. Your mother has cooked for an army," he said, giving his wife a hand in getting out of the sagging couch and walking to the kitchen.

Greg also offered Mycroft a hand, and when he was standing embraced his partner. They kissed quickly, and then followed Greg's parents into the dining room. They would figure out the surrogacy issue once they got back to London. They were here to relax for a weekend. They would take care of everything.

One step at a time.


	4. Chapter 4

When they really started thinking about it, Mycroft and Greg really didn't know any women who would be both willing and able to carry a baby for them. It was, without a doubt, the biggest speed bump that they hit while they were trying to conceive.

The first person they asked was Anthea. Mycroft trusted her with his life, which was good enough for Greg. She was not unwilling, but she somewhat shyly admitted that she and her long-term boyfriend were going to start trying for a baby in just a few months. He was a teacher and they figured on top of some paternity leave, he could stay home with their child during the summer. Mycroft was excited for her and promised that, should she want it, there would always be a position in his office for her.

While they were both happy for Anthea that news knocked the person they were really betting on out of contention. They couldn't ask Greg's living sister, because she had had such a rough delivery with her last child that her uterus was removed. They couldn't ask his sister-in-law because she was a smoker. Mycroft had no female relatives that he was close with in for any reason other than connections, and most of them were frankly ancient.

They were beginning to despair when Mycroft found a very highly recommended surrogacy program. A complete stranger would carry their child if all parties involved passed extensive background tests and the parents paid an exorbitant sum of money to the agency. After a few months of searching and thinking, they decided that this was their best option.

The women who they met with all had similar stories. They were single and very career-driven. They wanted to experience pregnancy, but they didn't actually want the distraction of a child. Greg felt that the whole situation was more than a bit odd, but this agency looked like it was their only option, particularly once Sarah had offered to be their carrier as soon as she finished university. Greg did not want to think about that. At all.

They narrowed it down to five women and both men said that they would rank the people they liked best separately and then try to make a decision that way. This led to them doing a lot of their deciding at the office so they weren't influenced by the other. Greg was staying after his shift had officially ended in order to do a little more research on the women and try to nail his list down a little more firmly when his answer came into his office for a chat.

"Sorry to disturb you," Annie Davies said with a wry smile. Samantha was squirming around in her arms and excitedly reaching for Greg. "Someone came to work with Mummy today and she wanted to see her favorite DI."

"You aren't disturbing me at all," Greg smiled, reaching for the toddler. Being around a baby was just what he needed right then. Samantha began babbling in her shy way that just bowled him over every time he saw her. He switched between chatting with her and her mother about nothing at all. At one point, he was completely focused on Samantha and didn't see Annie peeking at the surrogacy files.

"Sir, are you and your husband looking to have a baby?" Annie asked.

Greg froze. Annie went pink, as if she was afraid she had overstepped horribly. Instead of being reprimanded, Greg clutched Samantha a little closer and started to explain their situation.

"We've run out of options," he sighed. "We really want the baby to be genetically ours, so we need a carrier, but it seems like surrogacy via a stranger is the only way to get it done."

Annie fidgeted. "Well, what if you used someone from work?"

"Who would want to give up field work for desk work?" Greg asked. He quickly squashed an image of a pregnant Donovan being cooped up and not being able to get in on whatever crime scene action was happening if she was pregnant.

"Well," Annie shifted still and looked down at the floor. "It would only be for a few months. If you and your husband are alright with it, I would be willing to carry a baby or two for you."

Greg gaped at her. He couldn't speak. She must have taken that the wrong way because she muttered, "Forget that. It was out of bounds."

"No," Greg gasped. "Just. Annie. You have Samantha. She's a lot of work, and being pregnant with a toddler isn't easy. You should think about it."

"You did so much for me after…" she trailed off, clearly not wanting to reference the rape that had led to Samantha being born. "It would be the very least I could do."

Greg passed Samantha back to her. "Think about it for a few days. If you really don't think so, it'll be fine and we'll choose someone from the list of women from the agency. Talk to me on Monday about it, will you? Just to be sure."

"Fine," Annie said. "But I would tell your husband to stop looking at those surrogates. I would love to be pregnant again, but I'm fine with just the one. I'd been considering actually becoming a surrogate for a little while before this one came along."

"Sure thing," Greg said, dumbfounded. "Have a good weekend. I'll see you on Monday."

For once Greg was glad that Mycroft was out of town, because that way he couldn't guess why Greg was so happy. When he got home on the Wednesday after Greg talked to Annie, he was so discouraged with the search for a surrogate. He didn't feel good about any of the women that they had been matched with and he was starting to despair of their chances of having a baby. Greg felt bad that he had held the news about their potential surrogate from his husband, but it was worth the look on Mycroft's face when he told him who he had decided on for their surrogate.

It took a bit of legal finagling to get the eggs because Greg's parents had to come over to sign them into his custody for the insemination process, and then there were the hormone treatments. There was one insemination that failed to take, but the next month they tried again, and when the procedure was over Annie was pregnant with a boy and a girl.

**A/N: I'm going to be taking a break from writing for a little while. I'll be posting something that I finished earlier this month for a gift exchange in a few days, but I'm a bit emotionally and creatively tapped out at the moment. I still love all of you and would love to hear from you! The tumblr is always open for chatting. classygirlswearpearlswriting . tumblr . com :) xoxoxo**


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